ADR on DDP - advice welcome!

[chocolate mouse]

Thanks DisneyJo, very useful info - didn't know about the credit card number!

 

[DisneyJo]

I think it's only for signature dining like CRT and shows like HdeD oh and the fantasmic package!

 

[Lannin]

Hi everyone! This is SO weird for me! We have in our 4 trips NEVER made a dining reservation before leaving the UK. We book character meals maybe the day before, but that's it. But then we aren't too fussy about where we eat so maybe that's it.

Had a great experience on our last trip... we turned up at the Coral Reef in Epcot without a reservation at about 12:30 pm and asked if there was anything the had at all for the lunch period.. we were 'up to 3pm would be fine'. Well they seated us in 10 mins and in about the best spot in the whole place! Advanced bookings aren't everything you know!

Hey great to hear this!!! I will be doing exactly the same, stated this earlier on the thread, we are in disney, will enjoy where ever I can eat and at what ever time, could be worse things, like being at work!!

It is good to hear you had a great experience, how did you get on with your evening meal bookings?? Did you have any problems?

Thanks again!

 

[Lizzy Lemon]

I'm the opposite to yourself and want everything booked so I know at least we've got somewhere to eat. I've rang up today to make my ADR's for October, and even though its not a big deal two of my times had to be moved by 10 minutes. Not a lot I know, but it just goes to show you things are booking up already. I used a discount number through Telediscount

I rang 08448 610 610 001 407 939 3463 it took 26 minutes to book 10 days worth of meals at a cost of 1p per minutes.

I gave my credit card details for Hoop de Doo and Fantasmic package at Hollywood and Vine which will be charged if we fail to turn up without 48 hours notice.

 

[paulh]

we were on the free ddp last year and honest they were turning people away, and had boards up saying they were full that evening in the morrning.They had to put TS meals on at the value resorts to cope with demand.The free DDP was mad last yer so many people on it,Pop went from 50% to 100% occupancy overnight 2,000 in line checking in.I am not trying to scare you into adrs but would help you and if you dont use them you can cancel better that than noware to eat.Was on phone over weekend for a fantasmic package and they only had 4pm on one day over 2 weeks
Paulh

 

[daipp]

I finally got round to booking our ADRs for end of August a few days ago and the VERY helpful CM I spoke to said that now the free DDP has been made available to USA guests from end of August, spaces are filling up extremely fast. That said, I booked all of our requests apart from the 1900 Park Fare Character Breakfast - nothing available for all of August apparently

David

 

[brightspark]

Ok, I have just had a thought, which may or may not help to explain why we don't have trouble with getting places to eat. Does it make any difference that we have never done the DDP? Do the restaurants take a limited number of DDP for each day??? Just wondering, as I still don't really understand why it's impossible to get places months in advance.

 

[chocolate mouse]

OK, here's the update - we have made some ADRs! After studying these boards for ages, asking questions, making mental notes, etc, I thought I had better. so, me and DH sat down and looked through the menus at the Dining Plan locations and settled on 7 places. But then I kept reading on these boards how everywhere was getting booked up, you had to be VERY flexible with your eating times, you were very lucky if you got anywhere like you wanted, etc, etc...
Anyway, we picked our places and I left the list with DH for him to ring and make the bookings while I went off to try and slim with the help of Rosemary Conley As I've already mentioned, we are not too fussy about times, or eating at a certain place on a certain day - we are quite easily pleased! When I got back the deed was done - all the places we wanted, all around the times which suit us as a family, with no problems at all!
We will be doing Rose and Crown, Planet Hollywood, Chef Mickeys, Donalds Breakfastosaurus, Plaza, Liberty Tree Tavern and Crystal Palace. Any comments on these places appreciated!
Thanks to everyone for all their helpful comments

 

[brightspark]

Chocmouse, so glad you got it sorted. Felt really awful - that you might not book because of what I said and then you not get anywhere to eat! Phew. Hope you have a really great time!

 

[Twilight Terror]

I made some of ours yesterday, since everyone was going on about how fast they were booking up. But I got everything I wanted at the times I wanted so far, apart from 1900 Park Fare breakfast, where he couldn't do 8:30am only 8:35am! 5mins difference isn't exactly what I call an inconvience, although he did mention there were no special buses to any of the parks for early ADRs, only the normal park buses that start running 1hr before they open, so I had to go from 8am bookings to 8:30am just to be on the safe side!

All three times we've stayed off site, we always go to the hotel or Western Steer and have a full buffet breakfast, and stuff ourselves silly and then spend the day walking it off, so have decided that for the most part, our TS meals will be used for breakfasts. So, as it stands at the moment, we have these booked:
Donald's Breakfast - 8:30am
1900 Park Fare breakfast - 8:35am
Hollywood and Vine breakfast - 8:30am
Planet Hollywood - 2pm (for our last day)

We still have a few to decide on that are musts and therefore need to be booked, anything else we'll do when we get there, and they are: Crystal Palace (PIGLET!), Chef Mickeys, Liberty Tree Tavern, Cinderella's Royal Table. And no doubt we'll do Rose & Crown once, maybe even twice! lol

 

[chocolate mouse]

Chocmouse, so glad you got it sorted. Felt really awful - that you might not book because of what I said and then you not get anywhere to eat! Phew. Hope you have a really great time!

Aah mate - with my hungry lot we would ALWAYS find somewhere!
Thanks for all your help

 

[paulh]

mostof the signiture places will go quick,Buffet places wont have a problem.Like i said earlyer that last year was mad as that many people on it.This year its spread out with the uk offer starting at a differnt time to the bounceback(i think) and the open season starting later on the 26th aug.When we called back for the fantasmic it was gone and none for the rest for the 2 weeks were there.If you have got adrs and can change later on,its a lot better than having no adrs and finnding no place to eat
Paulh